Maryland Needs More Midwives!

50 countries have better maternal mortality rates than the United States. These "safer" countries employ midwives as their primary maternity care providers.

Updates

Midwife Bill passes unanimously in both the House and Senate, now on to the signing with the Governor......read moreMiles for Midwives - 5K Run/Walk and 1 Mile Family Stroll
Monocacy Village Park
409 Delaware Road, Frederick, MD 21701
5K Run and Walk: 10:00am
1 Mile Walk: 10:15am
Join us this spring for Miles for Midwives taking place in historic Frederick. Register early and save.

UnBreaking Birth

The Truth About VBAC: Maryland Families Need Access

Vaginal birth after cesarean delivery (VBAC) is wanted by many Maryland families. Both the the World Health Organization and the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommend decreasing the number of routine cesarean sections. Risks for repeated cesarean sections are significant, and can involve hemorrhage, increased hospital stays, infection, bowel and bladder injury, and placenta accreta, which carries a 7% maternal mortality rate. Risks to newborns include respiratory distress, NICU admission, death in the first four weeks of life, and asthma. Why, then, are so many Maryland women denied the right to refuse an unnecessary major abdominal surgery? In 2012, 21 out of 24 counties in our state had VBAC rates lower than 15%, and no VBACs at all occured in over half of Maryland counties.
Watch the stories of two mothers who recently navigated the birthcare experience in Maryland to understand more about why VBAC access is such an important issue affecting the health and safety of Maryland families. Please help MFSB advocate for your right to access a homebirth midwife and vaginal birth after cesarean. An 11.9% statewide VBAC rate is unacceptable! Please consider donating.

AND

Four million children are born in the United States each year. Pregnancy, birth, and the post-natal period are critical times in the life of a child, a new mother, and their family in terms of physical, mental, and emotional health. Childbirth outcomes thus have tremendous public health consequences. Join us in trying to understand what's gone wrong and how we can fix it.

UnBreaking Birth is a collaborative project of Maryland Families for Safe Birth and Unbreakingbirth.org.